Third-rail anchorage.



K W. B. BUTTER.

THIRD BAIL ANGHOIMG'B.' APPLIOATION FILED sn1' `T 1,19o7. .y

' Patente 512, 3909.

FTW

Lidl y lrwento: William Spotter only thing i' entran sans narrante canina WILLIAM B. POTTER,

OF SCHENEOTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A OORPORATON OF NEW YORK.

THIRD-BAIL ANCHORAGE l No. 909,335.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1,2, 1909.'

Application led September 7, 1907. Serial No. 391,769.

yTo all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM B. POTTER,v

as rigidly supported as are traction rails.

of supporting While there are many ways third-rails one, which has been found to bc especially successful, consists simply in mounting the rail on blocks of insulation resting on the ends of certain of therail ties, which are made especially long for this pur- `ose. With this method of support the rail is riot secured. to the insulating block but simply rests thereon by its own weight, a manner of support which. is satisfactory since the third-railshoe bears on the top of the rail and exerts no force which might tend to displace it. With third-rails supported in this manner creeping'7 becomes particularly excessive and o jectionable, since the that tends to restrain longitu-` dinal movement of the relay is the friction between it and the supporting blocks of insulation. Y

it is an object of my invention to'provide an anchorage which, while it isnot limited in its application to third-rails supported in any will serve particularly-well to hold rails supported as above described and prevent creeping thereof.

My invention alsol has for its object .the provision of means whereby short stretches of third-rail may be held down and all chance @of their being displaced by a defective thirdrail shoe removed. l,

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, inA

Figure 1Y is a plan view of a portion of a railroad track with an adjacent third-rail having my improved anchorage ap lied thereto; Fig. 2 is an elevation of said t ird- -sulating blocks 8 may have a s .secured to the tie'.

rail and anchorage; andFi 8 is a cross-section through the third-ra' showing one of the clamps which grip it.

Referring to Fig. 1, 5 represents one of the traction rails which is secured to the ties 6 in any suitable manner. The third-rail is indicated at 7,'"is mounted in a well known manner 0n insulating blocks 8 from the top of which extend lu s 9 which serve to hold the rail from latera displacement. The inuare hole in their bottom which nts the hea of a bolt 10 While my anchorage might be applied to any point onl the rail, it is preferably used at one of the supporting points and l have so shown it applied. ln the form of anchorage shown, which'l have found satisfactory, two clamps/l2 and 13 each consisting of two lparts, the form of which) is well shown in Figs.

2 and 3, are secured to the bottom of the third-rail by bolts la. These bolts draw the two parts fof the clamps together and cause them to firmly' grip th/e rail. Another bolt A15 is passed through holes in the bottom of each clamp, and to this is secured a bolt connection extending to some fixed point on the road-bed, as, for exam le, the tie 6, upon' which the supporting lock 8 rests. This bolt connection may comprise a strain insu lator- 16., of any suitable form, having secured to one side a lug i7 having an'eye through which the bolt 15 is passed, and on: its other end a rod iSiwhich may be screwed into it or otherwise attached. The rod 1S may be passed through a hole in the tie 6, vand nuts 19 may secure it against withdrawal. the tie, to which the anchorage is ap lied, a brace 20 may be bolted to this tie an to one or more ties one ach side of it, as clearly shown in Fig. i.

The operation of my improved anchorage is obvious. The clam and bolt connection between the third-rai and the tieon each' side 'thereof effectively secures the rail against longitudinal vmovement in either direction. Owing to the .fact that the bolt 15 is some distance from the bottom of the rail any pull exerted on this bolt will tend tojain the clamp more tightly against the rail, thereby preventin any possibility of the clamps slipping. t is apparent 'that the arrangement shown, if applied at intervals In order to increase the rigidity ct used to hold it down in contact With the su porting blocks and thus prevent possible displacement where short stretches of third-'rail exist. The strain insulators interposed inv the bolt connections between the clamps and the tie prevent grouniing of the third-rail.

.While I have shown but one form in which y myinvention may be embodied, I wish it understood that I realize that it may be modifled in many respects without departing from the spirit thereof. It is my intention to cover all such modilications in the following claims.

What -I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

1. In combination, a third rail, su `ports therefor, and an anchorage for said rail) comprising clamps secured to said rail, bolt connections located beneath said rail and extending in opposite directions from said clamps to the road-bed, and an insulator in,

terposed in each bolt connection.

2. In an electric railway, traction rails, ties upon which said rails are mounted, a third rail also supported on said ties, an anchorage for said rail comprising clamps secured to said rail, bolt connections located beneath said rail and extending in opposite directions from said clamps to a tie, and an insulator interposed ineach bolt connection.

AIn an electriclrailway, traction rails, ties upon which'said rails are mounted, a

third-rail also supported on said ties, and an anchora fe for. said third-rail com rising insulated bolt connections extending in oppositev clamps oltedl to said third-rail, an

directions from said clamps to a tief `4. In an electric railway, tractionrails, ties upon which said rails are mounted, certain of the ties being longer than others, a third rail and-insulated supports therefor mounted on the longer ties, land an anchorage for said third-rail Acomprising an insulated connection between said tliird-rail and one of the ties upon which it is supported.

5. In an electric railway, traction rails,

ties upon whichsaid rails are mounted, cery tain of said ties'being longer than others, a third rail and 'insulated lSupports therefor mounted upon the longer ties, and an anchorage for said third-rail comprising clamps secured to said rail on opposite sides of a supporting tie, and bolts and strain insulators'for connecting said clamps and the tie. In witnesswhereof, I havehereunto set Amy hand this 15th day of September, .19 07 WILLIAM B. POTTER. 

